DIY

Wax on! What's bright and white but uses no light... bulbs? The Candelier, of course, a majestic (and messy) chandelier made entirely from white wax by Japanese designer Takeshi Miyakawa. We're certain Mr. Miyagi would approve.

Traditional staircase lighting fails to impress functionally.  Even when lit with a fancy chandelier from an arched ceiling, which basement and attic stairs seldom deserve, the light cast may not be the safest.  But the Web's famous gadget hacker from Manitoba, Canada, Alan Parekh, has developed a complete kit for safe, energy-efficient, and versatile LED stair lighting that can express your individual style as well.

The Gakken Theremin Mini DIY Kit is the ideal holiday gift for your niece or nephew provided you can't stand their parents. They say Lenin loved the theremin's eerie sound the first time he heard it, so full Marx to him.

Attention indebted guitarists, don't be so quick to cut up those maxed-out credit cards. The Pickmaster Plectrum Punch quickly recycles VISA, Master Card and other name brand credit cards into cheap “green” plastic guitar picks. Sing with me now, “E I E I Owe!”

Lights, camera, inaction! If you're one of those people who enjoys watching the grass grow, you've got entirely too much time on your hands... or, you've got the Recolo Interval Recorder from Japan's Compact Impact.

Only the steadiest of hands can handle the photographic capabilities of their cellular or smart phones well - and that speaks for still photography.  But when it comes to video photography, you have to ask your viewers to bring their own sick bags to the show....

A solar-powered solar system might seem overly obvious but Solar Planet from Elekit ain't any ordinary orrery.

The "coolest" building in China stands in the city of Fuzhou, though not for much longer if the force of gravity has anything to say about it. Tenants frustrated by the lack of central AC in the modern office tower have festooned the 25-story building's exterior with over 500 window AC units.

Cheap and effective solar power is hot, especially in Lhasa, Tibet, where clear air and up to 3,000 hours of sunlight annually conspire to create the perfect environment for homegrown solar cookers and water purifiers.

I just came back from speaking at the Minnesota's Inventor's Congress (MIC). For those of you who don't know, the Minnesota Inventors Congress is one of the oldest and most established inventor trade shows in the country. And I have to say, I learned more from the inventors who attended MIC then I ever thought possible. It was so inspiring that I felt compelled to write this article and share.

As you begin your path toward bringing your invention to market, you might become keenly aware of how many naysayers suddenly show up in your life.   And when I say naysayers I mean people who don't share your vision, don't believe you can make things happen or let you know that for some reason or another you cannot actualize your invention dreams. 

Need a little help sleeping lately? Just pop the “Sleeping DVD” into your player and drift off to slumberland, gently guided by the soft voices and easy-on-the-eyes looks of some of Japan's most alluring dreamgirls.

Aurasma merges the physical and virtual instantaneously on your smartphone.

It's amazing what can be made solely from local materials - just see what these design students have done.

Gigwalk pays you to use your smartphone.

You really can live in comfort in a small space. The Cube Project is proof.

GiftFlow aims to create an economy of giving, which means there will be plenty to receive as well.

You will soon be able to buy a PC that fits in your pocket - for under $25!

People all over the world are deciding how their tax dollars are spent. Why aren't you?

The $300 House is a project that enables the poorest of the poor to build the best houses they can for next to nothing.